In the ZDF election talk “Klartext”, the CDU chancellor candidate Armin Laschet answers the questions of the electorate at prime time – and makes an overall confident figure.
Berlin – Seventeen days before the 2021 federal election on September 26, the “camp election campaign” is in full swing. The question of where your own election cross makes the most sense is felt more open than ever. This is also due to the aroused media and political discourse, which only seems to know hui or ugh, but no longer shades of gray.
Armin Laschet, chairman and candidate for chancellor of the CDU and CSU Union, is seen by some as a real “climate killer”, and also as half a “corona denier”. In the ZDF “Klartext” format, he was the first candidate for chancellor to have the opportunity to make a name for himself in direct dialogue with citizens. It comes as no surprise that the townhall format accommodated Laschet, who is known for its qualities in direct contact. So he not only answered questions, but asked back and in no way appealed to contradictions. An overall successful appearance.
Armin Laschet on “Klartext” on ZDF: “Stupid” situation at the flood date
The live broadcast from the Berlin Wahl-Studio ran for one and a half hours and was attended by around 70 guests from all over Germany. In the middle of the arena: Laschet, dressed in style, and the editor-in-chief, moderation duo Peter Frey and Bettina Schausten. The questioners had previously reported through various channels and some of them were editorially selected. The questions were divided into the four subject areas of climate, society, economy and corona, with clips introducing the blocks and short rounds of questions, split screens and circling tracking shots to subtly dynamize the action.
At the beginning it was about the flood disaster in Ahrweiler and the worries and needs of those acutely affected as well as the future issue of climate change. As is often the case in the show, Laschet first took stock of the (CDU) climate policy from the Rio Conference in 1992 to the Hambach Forest. When asked about his unfortunate laugh at the flood meeting with Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier (SPD), Laschet admits that the situation was “stupid”: “That was a mistake, of course.” Laschet responded confidently and, above all, close to the “foot folk” with financial aid for the flood victims. The chancellor candidate addressed the shortage of craftsmen during the reconstruction and thus showed a practical relevance that the political establishment often lacks.
Armin Laschet on “Klartext” on ZDF: A breath of a CDU board rally blows through the studio
In response to the climate question of a Berlin educator who is involved in “Parents for Future”, Laschet assured that he wanted to meet the 1.5 degree target without putting aside the complexity of the implementation: “We now need the dynamism.” When a mountain farmer from the Rhineland speaks up, Laschet fully exploits his closeness to the people: “Where do you work, in the Rhenish district or where?” The politician wants to know. A breath of his memorable CDU board campaign speech blows through ZDF. Reliability of politics is important when it comes to the question of the coal phase-out, one shouldn’t put new figures into the room every year. It is interesting to see Laschet’s admission that – unlike Chancellor Merkel – he would first have withdrawn from coal and then from nuclear power.
The block of topics on social coexistence initially dealt with the more aggressive mood in the country, violence and disrespect for rescue and law enforcement officers, threats from local politicians and hate speech on the Internet. Laschet pointed out that he had experienced hatred from the right for a long time and was now being “ridiculed” from the left, but that as a candidate for chancellor he would have to endure this. For threats against local politicians, however, he calls for a “zero tolerance principle”. An insult like “you Depp” is still tolerable, acute threats or sedition would have to be prosecuted. “Women get it twice again,” notes Laschet with reference to sexist failure symptoms. In response to the description of a Berlin federal police officer who reported attacks on his colleagues, Laschet showed incomprehension about such acts of violence. “Politicians have to stand behind the police,” says the top politician, and a certain “basic backing” must be given.
Armin Laschet on “Klartext” on ZDF: No clear answer to detailed questions
On the other hand, Laschet’s position on the question of a Berlin lawyer who criticizes the fact that same-sex partners are not readily recognized as full parents is somewhat evasive. The questioner who was personally affected by this seemed upset, the CDU man reacted calmly, without ingratiation – but also without a clear answer as to his position on the “detailed questions” regarding marriage for all and “rainbow families”. It was only when the presenter, Schausten, followed up (“What is your position?”) That Laschet spoke out in favor of legally strengthening same-sex parents.
On the subject of immigration and the AfD, a guest who had left the CDU wanted to know whether Laschet wanted to keep his commitment not to form a coalition with the AfD. Laschet insisted “clearly” that he did not want to work with the “right-wing extremist” AfD: “I will do everything to ensure that they disappear from the parliaments.” The viewer saw this statement as a potential for divisions. A bit spicy: While the guest was talking, Bettina Schausten crossed her arms. Another topic is the late return of Afghan local staff from Afghanistan. This is a “disaster, more than just a defeat,” says Laschet. Now “every individual case has to be checked on site”. Women who are particularly at risk, such as bloggers, should be given asylum quickly; Laschet wants to take up a thousand of them.
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On the subject of the minimum wage, Laschet advocated that it is not politics but the trade unions that determine the wage level. With other economic issues such as the shortage of skilled workers in the care professions or the bureaucratic burden on medium-sized businesses, Laschet wants to make professions “more attractive” and often detoxify small-scale bureaucratic requirements with “unleashing packages”: “We have to come to fewer regulations.”
Armin Laschet on “Klartext” on ZDF: Overall not a bad performance
In view of the fact that the corona pandemic has been the determining topic for the last year and a half and how it will be dealt with further is quite unclear, the last topic launched is relatively short. A clip about the suffering of a teacher who fell ill with Covid-19 in March 2020 and suffered from LongCovid symptoms for months, relied on emotional music and tears, which was strangely moralizing in the otherwise sober program. “LongCovid has shot this life to pieces,” complained the person concerned, now she is waiting for a drug that, according to her knowledge, has been waiting unnecessarily long for approval. Laschet pointed out that drug research is the task of science, but that he thinks it is “right and important” to support research financially. The head of a care facility sees the unvaccinated employees as “potential threats” and calls for mandatory vaccination in nursing professions, which Laschet considers difficult to implement with reference to the Basic Law: “A vaccination obligation is constitutionally not as easy to enforce as you would like it now.” Better be persuasion.
Armin Laschet did some of the persuasion work for himself and his party with the exchange of blows in the first of the three “Klartext” episodes. Olaf Scholz will follow next Tuesday (September 14th), and Annalena Baerbock on Thursday (September 16). (Christian Horn)
